Mr. Creech Jonesasked the Minister of Supply whether he has considered the recent protest from the Civil Service Clerical Association against the employment of an individual in an executive post in the Ministry, who was invited to accept his appointment by the principal assistant secretary of the Ministry with whom he is on friendly terms; whether he is aware that the individual against whose appointment the protest was made is related to a Member of the Government; at what Employment Exchange the individual registered under the Government's scheme for filling such appointments through the Ministry of Labour machinery; and how many other applicants were sent by the Ministry of Labour to be considered for this particular appointment?
§ Colonel LlewellinI am aware that a protest regarding this appointment was made in November last by the Civil Service Clerical Association, who were informed, after due investigation, of the conclusion that objection could not properly be taken to it. I have seen a statement that the individual is related to a Member of the Government, but this consideration did not affect his selection, which was based solely upon his qualifications for the work.
As regards the last two parts of the Question, at the time that the individual was offered the temporary post in question the Ministry of Supply was expanding very rapidly, and as the names of many candidates were being submitted from day to day by the Ministry of Labour and National Service, the precise number of them is not available, nor is the name of the Employment Exchange 598W at which many of them, including the individual in question, were registered. He, however, merely offered his services in a temporary capacity pending being called up by the Royal Air Force, on the reserve of which he was, and at the beginning of this month he was called up and in consequence resigned his appointment at the Ministry.